The first images of the Lotus C-01 hyperbike have hit the internet, MCN and has the “exclusive” on the 200 horsepower machine’s images. The first images are in fact renders of the final design, though they look the part and clearly show the Lotus C-01’s lines.

Said to have a KTM RC8R v-twin engine beneath its carbon fairings, the Lotus C-01 hits a lot of the right numbers on the technical sheets, though visually the machine it is less enthralling. This surprises us, since the bike’s designer Daniel Simon (creator of the new Tron Lightcycle, and author of Cosmic Motors), is one of our favorite designers.

The design grows on you a bit over time, but it is hard to say that when you think of a 200hp hyperbike, the images here come to mind.

With Lotus getting close to officially showing the C-01 to the public, we should have full specs and details shortly, until then we will have to examine these photos more closely. What are your thoughts on the machine?

Probably will look cooler with some better photos or in person, accompanied by a youtube vid of exhaust note. Its surprising how a good exhaust tone can make something look better .

jimmy smith jr

Looks heavy and slow handling. Colin Chapman is spinning in his grave. “No I said simplify and add lightness! This is not that!”

Keith the verbose(and more than slightly annoying)

what jimmy said. Looks more like a drag bike or something for the salt flats to me.

Phil

Stick to cars. That’s one ugly looking bike!

kww

looks like it was made for the 50+ viagra crowd who remembers when the Lotus company stood for something

Jake

Yawn. Why do people still make power cruisers? I suppose their target audience is the non-riding muscle car crowd, but then why Lotus?

Stuart

This is such a let down I was imagining a full fledge highly engineered sports bike or a huge beautifully crafted cafe race reminiscent of the Duc sport classic.

http://motorradwerkes.blogspot.com Dewey

It appears to be of monocoque construction and if it TRULY is a monocoque structure then it must look as it does. If that shell is in fact the chassis (as it appears to be) then this bike is right in line with Colin Chapman’s thinking and I suspect that it will be quite rigid and light.

John Mith

I thought Lotus was well known for lightweight great handling cars. Not fat bloated 200hp motorcycles that look like they can’t get out of their own way.

Norm Fraijo

I find irony in Lotus building a motorcycle, given Colin Chapman’s disdain for two wheelers. I think he said something along the lines of “How can you trust something that falls over when you walk away from it?”

Dale

I WANT ME ONE OF THOSE!!!! Although I’m not enthralled by the look either, I bet the first time you hit the throttle and let go of the clutch like the wrong end of a coat hanger at a weenie roast, you forget all about the look.

PeteN95

I like it and hope it is in fact a monocoque frame. The rake seems a bit much and also seems to be missing indentations for the riders legs, but an interesting design. It seems to be a new catagory, “Enclosed Naked bike”?!

Silas

Doesn’t look like it will wheelie.

Richard Gozinya

That thing looks confused. On the one hand you’ve got what appears to be a monocoque chassis. On the other you have twin shocks out back and a long rake. If you’re going to go the monocoque route, might as well make it fully faired and aerodynamic. No point not to. This just looks like a mess of different things stuck together.

Norm G.

re: “It appears to be of monocoque construction and if it TRULY is a monocoque structure then it must look as it does.”

fair enough. but its V powered, we cant get the cross section down any smaller than that…? i could hide a GE90 in that nacelle.

JoeD

Love It!! The first thing that grabbed my attention was the signature ovalesqe intake area in front of the engine. That shape and the svelteness of it all says Formula 1 breeding and history. My only negative is the steering geometry looks slow. Too Cruiserish.

Norm G.

re: “The first thing that grabbed my attention was the signature ovalesqe intake area in front of the engine.”

and there it is. I was gonna say, the design is meant to mimic the lines an F1 chassis. it’s the scoop over Kimi’s head, albeit turned upside down. I’m okay with it. they can go in any direction. it’s not like they are framed by any sort 2-wheeled history.

John D’Orazio

Crickets and bullfrogs…….

Ian John

as a cafe racer with a John Player Special paint job, yes please. call it a hyperbike, suggest any sort of performance in cornering and i call BS. Straight line / salt flat or cafe poser………

sean

The steering head angle says all we need to know. Moving on now.

http://motorradwerkes.blogspot.com Dewey

@Sean, Trail, far more than steering head angle, determines how a bike will steer.

@Richard, Except for MX bikes, there is much to recommend dual shocks over a monoshock design. But style and perception can, and do, drive the motorcycle industry as much or more than engineering correctness.

Bluey

it’s a design exercise. i like it. it has stacks of style, and clearly isn’t meant for real world performance riding other than straight line speeding or looking/sounding cool. fine. sign me up. i don’t need another track bike.

it’s a Lotus, whatever. their pedigree has been irrelevant for years. Apple will be making anything they can to turn a buck now that Jobs is dead.

-B

Bjorn

Are we sure there are not 2 RC8 motors under that bulbous monstosity?

ZootCadiilac

Quite confused by this. It’s truly hideous but more importantly what’s the point of a 200bhp ‘hyperbike’ if it has the aero of a brick wall?

And V-Twin? You could fit a V8 and 3 Kardashian sisters in that fat belly.

Don Walsh

Who put a 200 horse motor in Darth Vader’s urinal?

paulus

Dazed, Confused and dissapointed….

I am a Hyper sports buyer/owner/rider. I usually love this catagory. Not this one. This is not a hyper-sports nor a Lotus… it is a Lotus licenced/branded product.

It’s a very “USA” targeted styling. raked out and twin shock.

I disagree with most… it does not look monocoque. It looks like a shell over a basic frame. The look is of panels all fastened into place onto something beneath.

Definately not my cup of tea.

Nick

WOW!!! You can count on Lotus to bring fresh ideas to the motorcycle industry. The first sport bike to have a trunk! Built right into the chassis no less?? How convenient! You could keep a few spares, lunch, toolkit, and weekend bag in such a well thought out cargo space!

Ren-Jr.

I’m really interested with what they are trying to do with this. There’s gotta be something special about it, cause I never really thought of the folks at Lotus as a bunch of fucking idiots. I hope they prove me wrong…

MikeD

@Stuart:

+1. The usual ” HYPE, HYPE, HYPE …. TADAAAAAAA !………. Nothing.

Mariani

Booo!

I had my first post here at A&R because of rumours about this thing.

I thought Lotus was going to make a 200 bhp Desmo-like actual hyperbike, and that made me a little frustrated. They were loosing their touch and blah blah blah…

Now I wish they had done that instead of this power cruiser thing.

Sigh.

Damn

UGLY. no sorry sorry. BUTT UGLY!!!!

http://www.blastfilms.co.za arkangel

I’d love one !!

The KTM motor is one of the most beautiful pieces of motorcycle art there is and the minimalism of this design – where everything is under wraps – is stunning ..

I have no doubt it will handle sublimely..

dmj

Yep, pretty ugly. Seems they left the “motor” out of motor cycle. Lots need to be removed, fix that steering angle. If that motor is so ugly that they have to hide it, then start over. Less is more dudes.

Brad Simmons

More “branded garbage”. Sigh.

What disgusting looking PIG of a motorcycle. The flexy bendy 1970’s dual shocks in the back. That rake and trail make it looks like it will be out cornered by a Hayabusa or a Harley. :/

Grumpy Goat

I love when stylists try to ‘design’ motorcycles. It tests their ability to problem solve and in this case, there’s suspiciously little problem solving evident. I.E., that hard body surface your inner legs will have to endure on the sides of the fairings. Beyond that, it’s got no freshness. Well, even Daniel Simon is mortal. Love his books and movie props however.

Please, please LOTUS – do not build this form-over-function folly. It has nothing to do with Mr Chapman’s quest for racing excellence and innovation, or for that matter, building a lightweight fuel efficient, true low carbon consuming roadster for the 21st Century and beyond. You should be putting your considerable resources into one of our super fast, super efficient monliner designs. We aim to be true to the ideals and legacy that Colin Chapman left the World of motorsports. We aim to be very different. See our website http://www.mono-liner.co.uk

Stephan Park’s “monocoque” design is a very impressive looking bike, although like the LOTUS it ia not a true monocoque. Maybe LOTUS commissioned the wrong designer. I would certainly like to see some more from Stephan.

http://stephanpark.blogspot.com Stephan Park

Thanks Colin, On the monocoque label, I can’t tell from the render that the LOTUS is a monocoque. I’m guessing it isn’t since it has rivets and part lines in places where panels are attached in a conventional bodywork style. My guess is that it has a single piece carbonfibre upper main frame where some of the exposed frame is shaped to seamlessly blends with the body styling. As for my own design, it is technically a semi-monocoque as the septum ribs bio-mimic a nautilus shells internal structure.